Alzheimer's Disease Center Core

This is a proposal for a 5-year Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (ADCC) at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. The application consists of the Administrative, Clinical, Biostatistics and Data Management, Neuropathology, Education and Information Transfer Cores, and two pilot projects. The UK ADC has developed a strong program in the clinical, neuropathological, educational and research aspects of AD that serves as a resource for the university, community, state, and region for the past twenty years. The major goals of the UK ADC are to: a) provide clinical data, serum, plasma, buffy coats and CSF from thoroughly evaluated, longitudinally followed, normal control subjects, AD and non-AD dementing disorders, and postmortem material from these subjects to investigators of AD and aging at UK and to national and international investigators, b) continue longitudinal investigation of presymptomatic AD, mild cognitive impairment, early AD, mixed dementias and other dementias, and normal brain aging with autopsy as an end point; c) develop new research initiatives and attract new investigators to research in neurodegeneration and aging; d) place emphasis on serving minorities and involving them in research; and e) participate in multicenter efforts, including NACC, ADCS, ADNI, and others. The Clinical Core will evaluate and longitudinally follow 500 subjects in the Normal Control (BRAiNS) Clinic and 200 patients with AD and other dementi as in the Dementia Research Clinic - all with prearranged autopsies. This core will maintain a satellite clinic for African Americans in north Lexington in conjunction with an Administration on Aging grant for education of minorities about dementing disorders. The Neuropathology Core provides short postmortem interval brain specimens, CSF, and synaptosomes from longitudinally followed normal, MCI, early and late AD patients, and non-AD dementias to investigators and maintains a tissue bank. The Biostatistics and Data Management Core manages data sets from the other Cores, prepares the Uniform Data Set and the Minimum Data Set for submission to the NACC, and provides statistical design and analysis. The Education and Information Transfer Core assists with recruiting control and dementia subjects, provides research and clinical training for investigators and healthcare professionals, and disseminates information to the lay public.